Examining the Impact of Hip-Hop

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Examining the Impact of Hip-Hop

NEW YORK – As rap continues to flourish in its third decade, becoming more mainstream each day, some of hip-hop's influential players say its time to take a step back and examine its impact.

"It's a chance to celebrate, to feel our power, and to decide basic things about the next step," said rap mogul Russell Simmons, who organized this week's so-called Hip-Hop Summit in New York.

While hip-hop has experienced some of its biggest highs this year the Grammy success of Eminem, among them it has also suffered from negative publicity, including Eminem (again) and his lyrics, and the high-profile trial of its biggest star, Sean "Puffy" Combs, on weapons and bribery charges. (Combs, who was acquitted, also is one of the summit's organizers.)

Rapper Talib Kweli said he likes having a summit because much of the criticism of hip-hop "comes from outside the community. ... It's very important to me that I discuss those problems within the people involved in hip-hop."

Among those expected to participate in the summit: Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California and David Mays, founder of the hip-hop magazine The Source.

The rapper Kurupt said the summit also gives rappers a rare opportunity to network.

"We need more gatherings, more situations where you put the people and the artists together so they can politic," he said.

While this week's gathering is being billed as the biggest of its kind, it's not the first; last winter, Mays enlisted many rappers to participate in smaller confabs, partly as a response to fallout from last year's Source awards, which was cut short by violence.

"We're looking to raise the public awareness about hip-hop and try and change the public perception that hip-hop is negative and violent," Mays said.

Some of the sessions, most of which are closed to the media, include the impact of hip-hop on youth; the marketing of rap; and an examination of the role media plays in fostering rap's image.

A session also will be dedicated to the responsibility of artists. But it's unlikely there will be any harsh criticism of lyrical content or even a push to tone down some artists.

"My personal thing, I'd love to see more social, politically conscious" rap, said Simmons, a co-founder of Def Jam Records, the label of rap's biggest legends and current stars.

Not everyone was impressed by the summit, though.

"It's a long time coming for one thing," said Dionne Warwick, a frequent rap critic who concedes she just doesn't understand it.

"I think that the stories could be told in a little more palatable manner, where I'm not being cursed at," said Warwick, best known for singing Bacharach-David pop tunes in the '60s and early '70s.

But some of those involved in the summit say the biggest problem facing rap is what they see as unfair media portrayals of the genre, focusing on violent or sexual lyrics while ignoring more positive content.

"Media keeps all flames alive, whether it's positive or negative," Kurupt said. "But without media, there would be no growth, so it's a double-edged sword."

Although much of the conference's focus will be on rap's social impact, Kweli hopes the conference will also address such other issues as establishing a union for hip-hop artists.

"There are hip-hop artists who have no credit cards," Kweli said. "What if their children get sick? There's no medical coverage for them."

Simmons said it's important that the summit teach young rappers how to manage their careers and to determine what's next artistically and commercially.

Kweli agreed.

"I think hip-hop can be much more creative. I think that we were convinced that it's not art," he said. "The same way jazz grew when people got older ... I want hip-hop to grow in the same creative way, and for hip-hop to still make money and change people's lives."